Wii Sports Resort - Nintendo Wii review

Full Review

While the Wii console continues to be phenomenally popular, it's still that token bundled title, Wii Sports, that proves the only real constantly fun game. Introduce a previously reluctant gamer to Wii Sports and they can't fail but adore its simplistic representations of tennis, bowling, boxing, golf, and baseball.

So this sort-of sequel does exactly what you'd expect: more of the same. The number of activities has more than doubled, from the originals 5, to a suitably chunky 12. And while two of the classics remain in slightly souped-up versions of the classic brilliance (we're talking about golf and bowling here), there's a whole heap of brand new trials to test your skills with.

The big push for Nintendo with Wii Sports Resort is a handy little controller addition by the name of the Wii Motion Plus. Now we've looked at this implement before with EA's Grand Slam Tennis, but this little addition (you get one bundled in with the game) comes into its own with Sports Resort. The promised 1:1 degree of accuracy makes its initial appearance, and it does help raise the fun levels just that touch higher.

The only problem is that this additional peripheral, retailing at £19.99, is required for each player. This can lead to quite a chunky financial outlay if you regularly get together with a big group of friends. It's well worth the wedge of cash, however, as your every movement is taken into account as opposed to a vague wave in the generally correct direction as was usually the case with a number of pre Motion Plus Wii titles.

Anyway, onto the games. Swordplay does a fantastic job at representing the additional accuracy included by the Motion Plus adapter, thanks to a close visual representation of how you're physically holding your Wii Remote. Its multiplayer component, Speed Slice, which sees two of you chop up various objects in specified directions, is an absolute riot. The single player mode, which sees you block, parry, and attack various opponents is one of the best, but still lacking in any real depth. And sadly the Motion Plus can get a little confused when you start to flail wildly and requires a paused reset.

The real stand out title is the Archery. The Wii Remote acts as the actual bow, with the Nunchuk used in representing you pulling back the string. The Motion Plus makes accuracy absolutely pin point, leaving this one of those gaming experiences that just feels right, right from the very start. Moving your aim around, even wildly, is smooth as silk and Archery stands quite tall in being the real major gaming pleasure in Sports Resort.

Of the rest, most are average, but all come into their own when multiple players take to proceedings. Frisbee may sound incredibly simplistic, but again the unnerving accuracy with which you can add curve and spin with a simple flick of the wrist raises the skill many levels higher. Even Basketball, which initially seems to pack in an obscene number of control tweaks and options, is a real blast when it comes to multiple player matchups.

The only real poor offering is sadly Cycling. Pumping your arms in order to cycle uphill isn't exactly riveting, and the game does quite frequently lose its bearings as your arms start to work overtime. It's a shame as a decent representation of Cycling could have been a bucket load of fun.

Verdict

For fans of Wii Sports, this one is a must. Same for fans of multiplayer gaming, as the simplistic styles on offer make things competitive and fun for everyone even from the very first try.

But, if you want a real meaty single player experience then you may as well give this a wide berth. While things are fun against fellow humans, playing constant random games against AI representations isn't even half as much fun.

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